This issue's special- 30% off!

Teacher Feature (for parents, too!)

March 3, 2005

Spring is around the corner, and I can’t wait. At Watermark, you can find your own gardening books and jumps-into-spring in the children’s section, and we have many seasonal titles for you to peruse on a cool afternoon while we all wait for the sunshine.

One of my favorite new releases in this week is Ballpark: The Story of America’s Baseball Fields by Lynn Curlee (Atheneum, ISBN 0689867425, $17.95).  If you know a kid who loves baseball, then they’re going love jumping into this illustrated book for middle readers, which highlights the culturally rich histories of famous ballparks - from Dodger Stadium to Fenway Park.

Our store item receiving a 30% discount this week is Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (Delacorte, ISBN 0385729359, $16.95).  Teens love this series now continued with book three, bringing with it new and challenging events for the lives of four best friends.  I found it to be as delightful as the first book.  Check out our review in the Watermark Archives.

Don’t forget about the new Watermark book club starting in April – “Kid Lit For Grownups”, and I hope that many of you will join us the first Wednesday of the month starting April 6^th, at 6:30pm.  We’ll eat a little, drink a little, and certainly chat a little on these books, discounted 20%:

April - “The Witches” by Roald Dahl (Puffin, ISBN 0141301104, $5.99) 

May - “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic, ISBN 043942089X, $6.99)

June - the first book in the “Summer of the Sisterhood” series mentioned above, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (Random House, ISBN 0440229707, $6.99)

For younger kids, check out Zinnia’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington (Dutton, ISBN 0525473688, $14.99).  This book is like looking at a sunny afternoon – bright, colorful, and full of activity.  The story of a girl who grows her own flowers, educators may find this book connects well with lessons on plants and gardening.

For middle readers, check out “Melanie in Manhattan” by Carol Weston (Knopf, ISBN 0375830286, $15.95).  Funny, quirky Melanie is now in her fourth book, adventuring as always but now in her own hometown.  Middle-school readers love the story, Melanie’s newly budding romance, and the ups and downs of life they share with her, and it’s a fun series to encourage any kid to pick up.

For teen readers, consider “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving (Modern Library, ISBN 0679642595, $24.95).  It is Irving’s birthday this week, and there’s no better way to honor this talented author than by reading what I consider to be the best Irving book you’ve never read.  The story of a boy who believes he’s an instrument of God. You’ll laugh, cry, and wish you could read it all again by the final page.  And for summer reading, we can't wait for Irving's 11th novel:  Until I Find You.

Other items of note:

HarperCollins Children's Books announced that it will be accepting submissions for the 2005 Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest between March 15, 2005, and April 15, 2005. This is the second annual Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest, which is open to U.S. middle-grade novel writers who have not been previously published. One winner will receive a book contract for a hardcover edition, a $7,500 advance and a $1,500 cash award. The winner will be announced on June 15, 2005.

For further information on the official rules of the contest, please visit www.harperchildrens.com/writingcontest.

Have a great week, and we hope to see you soon!

Shaunna

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